The present invention relates to an improved multicolor printer.
There are known various kinds of prior thermal transfer type multicolor printers.
One example in disclosed in Laid-Open Publication No. 57-99260 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-178143)
Described below with reference to drawings is the arrangement and operation of one example of such prior multicolor printers.
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view illustrating an example of such types of multicolor printers. Designated at 1 is a platen 2. A recording head 2 such as a thermal head is carried on a carriage (not shown) movable along said platen 1. Designated at 3 is a sheet of recording paper. Designated at 4 is an ink ribbon, which serves to repetitively coat one surface of a continuous ribbon base material with heat meltable ink having a plurality of colors in the longitudinal direction of the base material successively, a prescribed length at each time. The ink ribbon is stretched between a supply reel 5 and a winding reel 6 in parallel to the platen 1. Rotations of the both reels 5, 6 by a motor (not illustrated) in the direction of arrows shown in the figure cause a portion already used of the ink ribbon 4 to be wound on the winding reel 6 while a portion not yet used is draw out from the supply reel 5.
Designated at 7 is a sensor means equipped with a filter for detecting a color of the ink of the ink ribbon 4.
The multicolor printer so constructed identifies a color of ink on the ink ribbon 4 drawn out by rotations of the supply reel 5 and the winding reel 6, positions the ribbon to bring about printing any ink having a color to be recorded, while pressing the recording head 2 onto the platen 1 by a means (not illustrated) via the ink ribbon 4 and the recording paper 3. With this arrangement, the recording head 2 transfers any amount of ink on the ink ribbon 4 onto the recording paper 3 for one color recording in response to a recording signal while moving a carriage for carrying the recording head 2 by a moving means (not illustrated). Likewise, other colors of ink are transferred in succession onto the recording paper 3 for color recording.
A multi-color printer of a type shown in FIG. 1, however, besides a sensor for positioning a portion of the ink ribbon of a color to be recorded to a recording position includes, a sensor for detecting an ink color as well as an exclusive motor for winding and drawing out an ink ribbon. Accordingly, the printer is expensive and complicated to be controlled.